Film-aligning device for air cushion maker

ABSTRACT

A film-aligning device applicable to an air cushion maker implements an eclectic heater to partially heat and soften a plastic film before the plastic film receives an inflating process and a softening process. When the plastic film is tending to proceed slantingly, the heated and soften plastic film performs a plastic deformation to realign the feeding stork of the plastic film.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to air cushion makers, and moreparticularly, to a film-aligning device for aligning a plastic filmduring a feeding stork, so as to ensure smooth inflating and sealingprocesses.

2. Description of Related Art

For protecting packed objects from being damaged under accidentalimpact, buffer or cushion materials are generally used to fill void. Ascan be seen in FIG. 1, an air-bubble sheet made of plastic films is oneof the most poplar cushion materials. A manufacture employs specialequipments to produce such air-bubble sheet as a large piece, and a usercan later cut or pucker the sheet at will to fill void in a packingcase. However, the manufactured air-bubble sheet is space-consuming attransportation and storage due to its characters of being inflated andnon-compressible. Thus, such air-bubble sheet is uneconomic andinconvenient in respect of transportation and storage.

A desk-top air cushion maker has been therefore developed to remedy theaforementioned problem by providing an inflated and sealed air cushion,as depicted in FIG. 2. Such air cushion can be made in-site for instantuse by the foregoing air cushion maker and is superior in convenience aswell as economy. Nevertheless, a conventional desk-top air cushion makertypically suffer from slant film in the maker that tends to causecreases on the film and leads to defective inflating and sealingprocesses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One primary objective of the present invention is to provide afilm-aligning device for automatically aligning and orienting a plasticfilm before the plastic film receives inflating and sealing processes inan air cushion maker.

To achieve this and other objectives of the present invention, thefilm-aligning device comprises a plastic film roll rotatably mounted ona base of a desk-top air cushion maker, a plurality of film-pullingroller sets, a heater settled on the base. The heater provides a heatingtemperature ranging from 55 to 60 Centigrade degrees. The heater ispositioned between the plastic film roll and the film-pulling rollersets that continuously draw out a plastic film from the plastic filmroll. Thereby, the plastic film over the heater is heated and softened.In the event that the film is tending to become slant, two sides of thefilm receive different magnitudes of pulling force from the film-pullingroller set. At this time, the side receiving the relatively greatpulling force becomes taut and the other side receiving the relativelysmall pulling force becomes loose, so that the film crossing over theheater performs plastic deformation that stops the uneven pulling forcebeing transmitted toward the plastic film roll. As a result, the filmbetween the plastic film roll and the heater is protected from receivingthe uneven pulling force and kept aligned, thereby rectifying the filmstroke from slanting and ensuring the following film proceedingstraightly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives andadvantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to- thefollowing detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional plastic air-bubble sheet;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an air cushion made of a conventionaldesk-top air cushion maker;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an air cushion maker according to thepresent invention, wherein a cover thereof is closed;

FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the air cushion maker according tothe present invention, wherein the cover thereof is open;

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing showing a plastic film passing over aheater according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While some preferred embodiments are provided hereinafter forillustrating the concept of the present invention as described above, itis to be understood that the components in these drawings are made forbetter explanation and need not to be made in scale. Besides, in thefollowing description and the drawings, resemblances are indicated bythe same numerals.

Referring to FIG. 3 for a perspective view of an air cushion makeraccording to the present invention. The air cushion maker primarilycomprises a base 10 and a cover 12 that is liftably affixed to the base10, wherein the cover 12 is now lying on the base 10. The cover 12includes an arched canopy 13, a button switch 14, a plurality offunction buttons 15 and a latch assembly 16 for holding the cover 12with the base 10.

Another perspective view of the air cushion maker according to thepresent invention can be seen in FIG. 4 and 5, wherein the cover 12 ispresently open. A film roll 17 to be inflated into an air cushion ismounted on a pair of roll supporters 20. A plurality of rubber rollers211, 212 are arranged-on the base 10 and the cover 12, respectively, inthe manner that when the cover 12 lies on the base 10, each pair of therubber rollers 211, 212 facing each other are vertically contact so asto form at least two film-pulling roller sets 21. One said rubber roller211 of one said film-pulling roller set 21 is rotate by a motor so as todrive the other rubber roller 212 contacting therewith. Hence, afterbeing settled between the two contacting rubber rollers 211 and 212, aplastic film 171 constituting the film roll 17 can be continuouslypulling out from the film roll 17 as the rubber rollers keep rotatingcoordinately. Then the plastic film 171 passes an inflating device 22and a sealing device 23 settled on the base 10 to receive inflating andsealing processes, thereby forming an air cushion as shown in FIG. 2.

A heater 30 is provided on the base 10, between the plastic film roll 17and the film-pulling roller set 21, and below a plane where the plasticfilm passes along. A pressing roller 31 is provided on the cover 12adjacent to the plastic film roll 17 for contacting the heater 30 so asto press the plastic film 171 on a surface of the heater 30 for enhancedheating. The heater 30 is in a bar shape, and parallel to thefilm-pulling roller set 21. It is to be noted that the heater 30 has alength long enough to heat the plastic film 171 for an entire width ofthe plastic film 171, as shown in FIG. 5.

The film-pulling roller set 21 draws out the plastic film 171 from theplastic film roll 17. Thereby, the plastic film 171 over the heater 30is heated and softened. In the event that the film is tending to becomeslant, two sides of the film 171 receive different magnitudes of pullingforce from the film-pulling roller set. At this time, the side receivingthe relatively great pulling force becomes taut and the other sidereceiving the relatively small pulling force becomes loose, so that thefilm 171 crossing over the heater 30 performs a plastic deformation thatstops the uneven pulling force being transmitted toward the plastic filmroll 17. As a result, the film between the plastic film roll 17 and theheater 30 is protected from receiving the uneven pulling force and keptaligned, thereby ensuring the plastic film 171 continuously andstraightly released from the plastic film roll 17. Consequently, theheater 30 facilitates aligning the plastic film 171 and preventing theplastic film 171 from a slanting feeding stork.

Although the particular embodiment of the invention has been describedin detail for purposes of illustration, it will be understood by one ofordinary skill in the art that numerous variations will be possible tothe disclosed embodiments without going outside the scope of theinvention as disclosed in the claims.

1. A film-aligning device applicable to an air cushion maker, which ischaracterized in having an eclectic heater for partially heating andsoftening a plastic film before the plastic film receives an inflatingprocess and a softening process.
 2. The film-aligning device as claimedin claim 1, wherein the eclectic heater is provided below a plane wherethe plastic film passes along.
 3. The film-aligning device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the eclectic heater heats the plastic film for anentire width of the plastic film.
 4. The film-aligning device as claimedin claim 1, wherein the air cushion maker primarily comprises a base anda cover that is liftably affixed to the base, in which a plastic filmroll is rotatably mounted on the base so that at least one film-pullingroller set serves to draw the plastic film out from the plastic filmroll while the eclectic heater is settled on the base between theplastic film and the film-pulling roller set and right below a planewhere the plastic film passes along.
 5. The film-aligning device asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the heater is parallel to the film-pullingroller set.
 6. The film-aligning device as claimed in claim 4, wherein apressing roller is provided on the cover adjacent to the plastic filmroll for contacting the heater.